The Unforseen
by iloveromance
Summary: When Daphne has a disturbing nightmare about her future with Donny she sees it as a sign. But the person she so desperately wants is out of her reach. But things have a way of working out when least expected. A very AU version of "Dark Side of the Moon"
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is yet another story based on a dream.

"_Daphne where are the recycle bins? The trash goes out tomorrow!" _

_Daphne looked around the garage, suddenly a bit disoriented. _

"_What? They were right here! I just brought them in from the house."  
_

_"No you didn't! If you had, they'd be here, along with all of the other trash cans!" _

"_Oh... Well, I thought..."  
_

_Her husband sighed irritably. "No, you didn't! You never do! And you thought wrong, okay?" _

_She gasped in surprise at her husband's harsh tone.  
_

_"What is that supposed to mean?" _

"_Um, nothing. Just... go back into the house and get them, all right? I have a lot of work to do and I wanted to get this taken care of before it's too late." _

_She swallowed hard, fighting the tears that came so easily these days. _

"_I could have sworn I brought them into the garage. How strange. Oh... I remember now... I meant to bring them out but I got a bit distracted by something on the television. I guess my mind was somewhere else." _

_Then in an attempt to make him smile, she walked toward him and slid her arms around his neck. _

"_Perhaps my mind was on the wonderful time I'm going to show you tonight..."  
_

_He softened then, but only a little; his mouth curving into a smile that disappeared almost the moment it surfaced. And then like a slap in the face, he lifted her hands from around his neck and took a step backwards. _

"_Fine. I have stuff to take care of anyway. It will probably take me hours to finish." _

_She turned away, hoping he wouldn't see the tears in her eyes. These arguments were happening more and more often and she wished she knew why. _

_They'd barely been married three months but they fought as though they'd been married for years. _

_She was staring into space when she heard him calling her. _

"_Daphne?"  
_

_Slowly she turned to face him in exasperation.  
_

_"Yes?" _

"_Are you going to just stand there or are you going to get the damn bins? I don't have all day you know!" _

"_Look, if you'll give me a few minutes I'll bring out the bloody bins! I told you before, I've had a lot on me mind and I just wasn't thinking clearly. I'm not perfect, you know!"_

_Her voice was trembling now and tears spilled down her cheeks but she no longer cared. _

_And it was then that she noticed that he was staring at her. _

"_What?"  
_

_But he continued to stare. _

"_Why are you looking at me like that?" _

"_Are you going to wear your hair that way?"  
_

_Self consciously her hand went to her hair. "What? I don't- what's wrong with me hair?"  
_

_"Um, nothing... It's just..."  
_

_"What?" _

_He sighed deeply. "Well, it just doesn't look good. You're growing it out, aren't you?" _

"_What? How could you say such a horrible thing to me? I thought you loved me!"  
_

_"Look, I'm just being honest, okay? Just a little constructive criticism. Don't freak out!" _

"_Don't 'freak out'?" She yelled, making imaginary quotation marks in the air with her fingers. "How can you expect me to be calm after you said that cruel and hurtful thing to me?"_

"_Come on, I was just-."  
_

_"What's wrong with me hair?"  
_

_"Well..."  
_

_"You obviously meant something so what is it?"  
_

_"Look, just forget about it, okay? It's not a big deal." _

"_I don't think I can forget it! What did you mean?"  
_

_But instead of answering, he walked past her and into the house. "I'll get the damn bins myself, since you're obviously not going to do it!" _

"_I'm talking to you! Don't walk out on me!"  
_

_The door slammed behind her, causing her to flinch. _

_This wasn't the way she pictured married life to be and now she wondered if she'd made a huge mistake._

Daphne jolted awake, her breathing rapid and her heart pounding beneath her chest. It was the fourth night in a row that she'd awoken to a disturbing nightmare involving her future husband, but this was by far the worst.

Could the dreams have been visions?

The thought was completely ridiculous but the more she willed it away, the more it returned, beckoning her to believe it.

She glanced at the clock, somewhat annoyed to find that it was too late to resume sleeping. But even if she could, she doubted that sleep would come.

It was only supposed to be a short afternoon nap, but now she realized she'd been asleep for hours.

Dr. Crane was a dear man for letting her sleep when there was so much work to do. Lately it was as though he'd had a sixth sense when it came to her stress level and he'd eased off considerably on her duties. But she liked working hard. It kept her mind off of things... her upcoming wedding for one.

However she had obligations today and the thought made her smile.

The younger Dr. Crane had invited her over to help him with a recipe that he wanted to try out and she was more than willing to do so.

After all, he was her best friend.

Reluctantly (but eagerly) she climbed off of her bed and jumped into the shower. It was just a casual meeting but she felt like she should look as nice as possible. So she searched through her closet for the perfect item of clothing.

But it wasn't hard to choose. For there before her was the most beautiful dress she'd ever seen.

In a beautiful shade of mauve, the sleeveless dress fit her like no other dress ever had. It was by far her favorite and although Donny never commented on it, she knew that the younger Dr. Crane surely would. He was always doing that; saying the smallest things to make her feel so special.

She had no idea why she was so anxious to get to the Montana but she had a feeling that this was going to be a wonderful evening.

Her trepidation increased as she neared his building and she willed the feeling away. Why was she so bloody nervous? It was just a casual meeting between friends, nothing more.

She'd been surprised when he called but she didn't hesitate to offer her help. After all, he'd helped her more times than she cared to admit so she owed him this favor.

But why sticky toffee pudding?

And why her? He'd never expressed interest in her cooking before.

The whole thing was completely strange. Strange and wonderful at the same time. She couldn't help thinking that perhaps he had invited her over for a different reason all together. And the thought made her even more nervous than she cared to admit.

But as much as she tried to push the nervousness away, it was still there when she arrived at his doorstep.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door and seconds later it was answered. He smiled at the sight of her and she was momentarily taken aback. He was so handsome, and she couldn't quite believe that he had been in love with her for all of these years.

Could what his brother said actually be true? It was like something out of a fairy tale.

"Daphne, right on time!" Niles said cheerfully. "I'm glad you're here. Come in. let me take your coat."

She smiled as he slipped her coat off of her shoulders and hung it on the coat rack. And it was hard not to notice the way his eyes moved up and down her body, as though admiring her new dress.

"I brought the recipe."

"Hmmm? Oh, for sticky toffee pudding... mmmm."

She moved just a bit closer to him. "Well, that's why I'm here, isn't it? To teach you how to make it?" she asked, unable to hide the suggestiveness in her voice.

"Yes."

Daphne smiled, knowing full well that he could have cared less about any silly old pudding.

"You're not buying it, are you?"

She laughed at the way he always seemed to read her mind and followed him to the fainting couch.

"Daphne do you know why I asked you here tonight?"

The heat crept into her cheeks and caused her face to flush with color. "I think I do. I mean, when a man asks you to his house to make pudding on a Saturday night..."

"A pretty flimsy excuse, wasn't it?" Niles laughed.

"Well, it got me here."

"I'm glad."

He touched her arm causing her to shiver, and her heart began to race.

"Just make yourself comfortable and I'll be right back."

"All right."

She could hardly believe this was happening. In mere seconds the man she'd come to love would say the words that she secretly longed to hear...


	2. Chapter 2

"SURPRISE!"

She was so startled that she jolted and gasped, unable to comprehend what was happening. All around her were people she knew; Frasier, Roz, Martin, Niles, Mel... and Donny.

Her fiancé sat down beside her and took her in his arms. But it wasn't a comfortable embrace in the least.

"Welcome to your shower, honey!" Donny said with a bit too much enthusiasm. "Oh my God, you're trembling!"

She forced a smile and tried desperately to steady her voice. "Yes, well I'm absolutely blown away!"

"Oh come on, Daphne. You were on to us." Niles chuckled.

She smiled sadly at him, ignoring the way her heart was breaking.

"No, really! You had me completely fooled!"

As Donny hugged her again Daphne watched Mel and Niles kissing and it was nearly impossible to hide the tears that filled her eyes.

She looked away and accepted Donny's embrace, cowering when he began trailing kisses down her neck, to the delight of the guests who sighed and whispered among themselves. His lips moved toward her mouth but suddenly she couldn't take it anymore.

"Donny! Stop it, all right?"

But he laughed it off, continuing to kiss her. "Aw come on, Honey! Everyone knows we're getting married soon, so why not-."

The painful memory of her dream resurfaced and she closed her eyes, wincing as he kept touching her.

"Donny, _please_!"

Strangely he ignored her wishes and she resisted the urge to pull out of his arms. But when his kisses became more demanding she felt as though she was drowning.

"Donny, I said STOP IT!"

With as much force as she would use to fend off an intruder, she shoved him away, causing him to fall against the back of the fainting couch.

The apartment grew eerily silent and she was painfully aware of every stare, every shocked glance, every hushed whisper. But she simply couldn't bring herself to look at Donny-or Niles.

Instead she slowly rose from the fainting couch, ignoring the dizziness that consumed her.

"Honey-."

"Daphne, what's wrong?"

"You okay, Daph?"

The voices were muffled, lost inside of her. But one voice came through loud and clear.

"Daphne, dear God, what's wrong?"

The sweet way Niles asked the question warmed her heart and when their eyes met, his compassionate expression was more than she could bear.

"I-I'm sorry, I-."

Her voice broke and she burst into tears.

Ignoring the puzzled glances she eyed the doorway, but then turned and ran up the staircase. When she found herself in the hallway, she looked around in a daze before heading straight to the room directly in front of her.

It was huge; much larger than she remembered and she entered slowly, grateful for the privacy. It was definitely Niles' master bedroom.

Despite feeling like an intruder, she sat down on the enormous King sized bed and began sobbing into his pillow.


	3. Chapter 3

Martin stared at the empty landing and then looked back at Donny, Niles and Frasier.

"Well, what was that all about?"

"I have no idea." Donny replied as he headed for the stairway. "But I'm gonna find out."

Before he reached the base of the staircase, Frasier grabbed his forearm. "Hold it, Donny. With all due respect, that's probably not a good idea."

Donny glanced at Frasier, incredulous. "Frasier, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Now Donny, I'm not placing blame and there's no need to jump to conclusions, but in light of Daphne's breakdown-."

Niles stared at the landing as his heart broke for his angel. Even though she was engaged to Donny, he still loved her deeply and couldn't bear to see her hurting. He was worried.

"She's obviously suffering from some ridiculous psychotic-."

"Mel, Daphne is not psychotic!" Niles yelled louder than he meant to. "Something's going on and I think we should try to help her rather than-."

"Oh for God sake's Niles! Don't you see what she's doing?"

Niles rolled his eyes in anticipation of yet another rant from his girlfriend.

"She's a maid, Niles! She wants attention and you of all people should be able to see the signs! I mean, how ungrateful after all we went through to throw her and Donny this bridal shower! I told you it was a bad idea but you kept-."

"Mel, that's enough!" Niles yelled in exasperation. Ignoring the protests of his girlfriend, dad and brother, he pushed his way through the crowd and headed upstairs.

_Damn..._

He loved Mel, or at least he thought he did. But the woman could be so infuriating. He'd never understand what Mel had against-.

He stopped short when he reached his bedroom.

From his stance in the hallway he could see her, sobbing into his pillow, clutching it the way a child might hold a beloved teddy bear. The sight nearly tore his heart in two.

For a moment he watched her, at a loss for what to do. His heart told him one thing and his ethics told him something else. He'd never had luck with following his heart, for he knew that she wasn't in love with him. But his ethics were such that to do what was right could possibly cause her more pain.

Donny should be handling this, not him. Whatever was going on between them was obviously causing Daphne a great deal of stress and he couldn't help but wonder if they were having problems in their relationship.

But judging by the startled look on Donny's face when Daphne's outburst occurred, he feared it was something much worse. Obviously Donny was as in the dark about this situation as everyone else in the room.

Niles was definitely well-versed in counseling couples with problems, but he simply couldn't interfere with this relationship. Aside from a major conflict of interest, he would have no idea what to say. He definitely couldn't be objective even if he tried.

And so he continued to stare at her while she sobbed into his pillow.

But his heart held a different story.

She was so kind, loving and generous and he couldn't stand by and do nothing. However, he had no idea what he could possibly say.

The thought of her sitting in his darkened room alone and hurting tore through his very soul and he no longer cared what anyone thought. She needed someone and he swore many years ago that he'd do absolutely anything for her, even if it went against his ethics.

And so, with a heavy heart he walked into the room and stopped in front of her, reaching to touch her shoulder with his trembling hand. He spoke quietly, hoping not to disturb her.

"Daphne?"

She looked up sharply and dropped the pillow, frowning as though she were a child who had been caught misbehaving.

"Dr. Crane..."

Frantically she brushed the pillow with her hand. "Oh sod, look what I've done to your pillow! I've stupidly managed to get makeup all over it!"

Her fingers moved nervously across the pillow as she struggled to remove the pillow case.

"I'm so sorry, Dr. Crane! I don't know what I was thinking, coming into your room like this. I-I'll just take this pillowcase home and pop it into the laundry and it should be as good as new. If not, I'll gladly buy you a new one. I-."

The bed shifted as he sat down beside her, and gently placed his hand on her back.

"Daphne, what's happened? Why are you so upset?"

"I'm not upset, I-I was just so overwhelmed that you threw this party for Donny and I. You can't imagine how much it means to me and I know that Donny-."

Her voice broke and she covered her mouth with her hands. "I'm sorry..."

He stared into her tear-filled eyes and suddenly he could contain his emotions no longer. "Daphne, come here."

When he held out his arms, she practically melted against him, sobbing into his chest.

He knew it was wrong, holding her like this when any minute Donny, Frasier or Mel was bound to appear in the doorway, but he didn't care.

She was hurting and he wanted nothing more than to make her happy again.


	4. Chapter 4

He held her close, rubbing her back while she cried, until finally she raised her head.

"I'm so sorry, Dr. Crane. I guess I'm a bit emotional about all of this. I should probably get back to the party. I'm sorry I ruined it for everyone."

"Nonsense, Daphne. You didn't ruin anything. But what's this all about?"

"All of this is so overwhelming." She lied. "I didn't expect all this fuss-."

"Daphne-I think it's about more than just the party."

At the sincerity in his voice, she pulled out of his arms and rose from the bed. "It's silly now that I think about it. But I had this dream..."

"Really..." He said, shifting his position on the bed to face her. "What sort of dream?"

"Oh... It's not important. It's..." She looked over, smiling sadly when she noticed him watching her intently. "I didn't mean to upset him... Donny that is. We were having another fight. We'd only been married a few months and it seemed that we were fighting all the time."

She paced back and forth on the plush carpet. "We were arguing about bloody recycling bins! He kept yelling saying that he had things to do and he was so angry, he..." Her voice trailed away, remembering how much it hurt. "And then he started in on me hair! He-he said that it was obvious that I was growing it out and that it didn't look good and-."

"Daphne-."

"We were fighting all the time and we were still newlyweds! I mean how I was supposed to-."

When she began to cry once more, she expected Niles to leave the room, having been appalled by her ridiculous story. But instead she heard the soft shifting of the bed as he rose to his feet and went to her. She felt his hand on her back, guiding her back to the bed.

"Come... sit with me."

Reluctantly she sat down beside her where he kept his arm around her. She leaned against him, hating the way she was carrying on.

"I'm sorry, I..."

He held her closer and kissed her cheek. "Don't be sorry." He whispered into her hair.

"But... what if it's a sign, Dr. Crane? What if Donny's not the man I'm meant to be with? Sometimes... I don't even know if I really love him!" She sighed deeply, her breath staggered. "I suppose that makes me a horrible person, doesn't it?"

He rubbed her bare arm and kissed her cheek once more. "Not at all... You're a wonderful person, and I've never met anyone as kind and compassionate as you. And with all due respect, if Donny can't see how amazing you are..."

She looked into his beautiful blue eyes and touched his cheek. "Thank you, Dr. Crane. You're so sweet... I don't know what I would do without you."

"It's my pleasure, Daphne. I hate to see you like this. But..."

"I love you."

The words were out before she realized that she'd even said them and they slowly moved toward each other until their lips met in a kiss. The feeling was so welcome that she rested her hand on his shoulder, drawing him closer to her. The kiss lingered and soon she was lost in blissful world where nothing and no one else mattered.

When he drew back and stared at her, she saw something in his eyes that she'd never seen before. He swallowed hard and brushed a fallen lock of hair from her forehead.

"I love you too, Daphne." He whispered brokenly.

She moved to kiss him again but was interrupted without warning.

"What in the hell?"

"What the hell is this?"

"Dear God!"

When she looked up, she saw Frasier, Mel and Donny standing in the doorway.


	5. Chapter 5

Niles rose from the bed and faced the three figures. "I-I can explain... I-it's not what it looks like!"

"The hell it isn't!" Mel yelled. "So this is why you were so anxious to come up here, so that you could have your way with your little maid-."

"Mel!"

"Fine, Niles! Sleep with her! See if I care! But if that's the way you want it, we're through!"

"Mel, for God's sake I was just-."

"Go to hell, Niles! And you too, Daphne!"

Daphne flinched at the harsh words.

"Mel, just wait a minute!" Nile was saying.

"No Niles! I'm not waiting for you anymore! I should have known this would happen! Well, fine! You got your wish! You can have Daphne! Although I'm surprised that anyone wants her!"

Daphne closed her eyes and flinched once more as Mel stormed out of the room. Niles hurried to follow Mel as Daphne locked eyes with Frasier.

"I'm sorry..." She mouthed.

He nodded in response and cleared his throat. "You know... I think I'm going to go downstairs and explain. Although it's probably safe to assume that this party has come to an end."

When he was gone, Daphne swallowed hard, painfully aware of the ache in her chest as she stared at Donny.

"We need to talk."

"Donny-."

"Something's going on here, Daphne. I'm not stupid! I know what I saw!"

"There's nothing to talk about, Donny."

He sighed irritably. "_Nothing to talk about_?" He yelled, startling her with the outburst.

"Well I think there is, Daphne! I planned this whole...damn party, and even arranged to have it right here at that jackass Crane's apartment!"

"Niles is not a _jackass_, Donny! He's wonderful and sweet and... I love him very much!"

He was quiet for a long time... a tense silence that lasted much too long.

"Donny- I didn't mean for this to happen. It just... happened."

"I see... Well fine! Nice knowing you, Daphne! Thanks for ruining my life!" He yelled.

"You've got some nerve!"

The tears were streaming down her cheeks and her chest hurt so badly she could barely breathe.

"Donny, wait!"

When he paused in the doorway, she moved closer, her hand trembling as she removed the ring from her finger. The gold and diamonds were a collective blur from the hot tears that welled in her eyes and spilled onto her cheeks. "I'm sorry." She whispered, holding out the ring, which he snatched from her hand.

"So am I!" He said, turning to walk out of the room.

As the tears spilled down her cheeks, she realized that she wasn't sad about losing Donny, but about the hurtful things he had said about Niles.

She sat staring at the wall and she was so deep in thought that she barely noticed she was no longer alone. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned in surprise to find Niles standing beside her.

"I saw Donny downstairs." He said quietly. "He didn't look happy. Oh God, Daphne this is my fault. I'm so sorry, I-."

"It was my fault." She corrected. "I should have never-Oh Niles..." Her voice broke once more and she began to cry. Instantly he took her in his arms, holding her close.

"It's all right, just let it out. I know it hurts. It seems that you and I are in the same boat. Because Mel and I... Well... we're through."

"Oh Niles..." she said again, barely aware that she was saying his name. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. I should have ended it long before now. _You're_ the one I love Daphne; not Mel. And I- I... should have told you-."

She kissed him with everything she had, no longer caring if they had an audience. And after a long moment she drew back and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Thank you... for doing all of this for me."

"I'd do anything for you, Daphne. And although it hurt, putting this together for you and Donny, knowing that you two were engaged to be married, I only wanted to make you happy."

Her hands cupping his face, she kissed him again. "You do make me happy, Niles. Blissfully happy."

A few kisses later they were holding each other once more. "Well...I suppose we should go downstairs and... face the music as they say."

She smiled and kissed his forehead, her lips lingering on his soft skin. "I love you."

"I love you too, Daphne." Niles laced his fingers through hers and lead her out of the bedroom. "Now, come on..."


	6. Chapter 6

As they descended down the stairs, their fingers entwined, every eye was upon them.  
"All right Niles, now that this ridiculous party has officially been ruined, would someone please tell me what's going on?" Frasier demanded.

Niles sighed. "Frasier I can explain. You see, Daphne-."  
"Dr. Crane it's my fault, not your brother's." Daphne interrupted. "It's just that... Well I had this vision, and-."  
"Daphne, please! I don't have time for this!" Frasier snapped.

"But it's true! You have to believe me!"

"Let her talk, Fras." Martin said. "The sooner this fiasco is over, the better."  
"Look, Dr. Crane. I-I know you don't believe in me powers or that I have these psychic visions, but please just listen to me! I had a dream... a nightmare actually... about Donny. And this wasn't the e first time. In fact, I've been having them almost every night since he proposed. In every dream we're at each other's throats, fighting in the worst way! I still cringe at the hurtful things he said to me in those dreams and it scares me! What if me nightmares come true after we're married? I don't want me marriage to end in disaster, but I also don't want to spend me life wondering if Donny's not me soul mate. You know like in Sleepless in Seattle when Meg Ryan-."  
Frasier held up his hand to silence her. "I get it, Daphne. It's fine. Just... go on with your story-sans Sleepless in Seattle. I've had enough of that movie to last a lifetime!"

Niles put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. "And as for Mel and I, we never really say eye to eye anyway. So I suppose our breakup is for the best."  
Finally Frasier smiled. "Well... I can't say that I'm not happy about it, and although I had my reservations about this... infatuation of yours with Daphne, I can see now that it's so much more. It's true love and the two of you have never looked happier."  
"Amen to that." Martin said. "Now I'm going to get a beer from the kitchen."  
"Help yourself Dad." Niles said, unable to resist grinning. He turned to the few guests that lingered in his living room. "Please everyone, stay and enjoy yourselves as long as you like. I'd say that I'm sorry that the evening turned out to be a complete disaster, but Frasier's right. I've never been happier." He poured two glasses of champagne and handed a flute to Daphne. "I propose a toast-."  
"Niles, can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?"

"Of course. Let's go into the library. It's quieter in there."  
As they entered the library and sat down on the sofa, Niles smiled and caressed her hand. "Now what did you want to talk about?"

She swallowed hard, suddenly embarrassed. "I don't know quite how to tell you this."

He smiled and brought her hand to his lips for a gentle kiss. "You can tell me anything."  
"All right. When you invited me over here, with that silly excuse for wanting me recipe, I was hoping that you were going to tell me that you loved me."  
His eyes widened in surprise. "You were? Oh Daphne, I'm so sorry! I-."

"I understand. And it's okay. I was engaged to Donny and... Well, now I'm not. But even though things didn't exactly transpire the way I had imagined, I'm still grateful for the way they turned out."  
Niles took her into his arms and held her. "Oh Daphne..."  
"I think it was you all along." She said as she rested her head against his chest. "I just wish I had seen it sooner. I'm so sorry, Niles."  
"I'm not." He said matter of factly. But let me ask you something. These visions you have... Do they ever involve a gourmet dinner with someone you've known for a long time, followed by a night of dancing and passion?"  
Daphne laughed and kissed him once more. "I think you might be a bit psychic as well!"

"No... I'm not psychic, Daphne Moon. Just deeply in love."  
After brushing away the tears that fell onto her cheeks, he kissed her deeply. "Now... what do you say we enjoy the rest of this party? And then perhaps later, we can discuss these visions a bit further-maybe put them to the test?"  
Again she laughed and hugged him tightly. "I'd like that."  
THE END


End file.
